


Butterflies and Hurricanes

by lornrocks



Category: Fandom: Heroes, Torchwood
Genre: AU, Crossover, Fix It Fic, M/M, Romance, Slash, all that good stuff, but oh well, drama everywhere, i don't like this anymore, idon'tevenknow, iliketopretendpeterandsylarlooklikeunit, janto, justgowithit, petlar, pylar
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2010-06-10
Updated: 2010-06-13
Packaged: 2017-12-16 03:45:28
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 4
Words: 11,075
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/857395
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lornrocks/pseuds/lornrocks
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Peter and Sylar need to go back in time and fix some wrongs. So what are they doing in Cardiff in 2008?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This goes out to darlingicequeen for inspiring me to write some sort of weird Petlar/Janto crossover. I hope you like this!

Eight months, three weeks, and four days after Claire Bennett took her not-so-fatal leap off the ferris wheel at the Sullivan Bros. Carnival, Peter Petrelli went looking for Hiro Nakamura.

He found him, living and working quietly in Japan, trying not to draw attention to himself. His best friend had recently wed his sister, and his father's company was doing okay. But Hiro couldn't shake the feeling of uselessness that now plagued his every day life. So when Peter appears asking to borrow his ability, Hiro simply grabs the other man's hand and nods.

Peter, Hiro observes, looks different than when he last seen him. For one thing, across his once pristine features is a light, pink, shiny scar. It wasn't as deep or vicious looking as the Peter he had seen in the future, but its presence was undeniable. Second, Peter was limping, and covered in bruises. In some twisted way, he almost looked like he just stepped out of Fight Club or some other activity. But Hiro knows better. He's seen the news. Fights were breaking out all over New York and around the world, people with abilities were being targeted.

Leave it to Peter to get involved, he sighs, turning back to his desk.

Fast forward three days after that, Peter is standing in his Manhattan apartment, a bag slung across his shoulder and a determined look in his eye. Seated in front of him, looking not quite as enthused, is his begrudging roommate and part time bed warmer (although he tries to ignore the disdain at referring to the other man as such).

"Peter," Gabriel sighs, looking up at the other man with a exasperated look, "You can't just go back and stop her."

Peter crosses his arms.

"Why not?"

Gabriel tries to hold the other man's gaze, he really does, but he can't help flicking his eyes back down to the newspaper in front of him, open to a half done crossword puzzle.

"Because...if Claire doesn't jump...then we don't move in together..." he begins, trailing off.

Peter leans forward so he can put both hands on the table in front of Gabriel.

"And...?"

The taller man sighs and stands up so he can face Peter.

"And then we won't get together." At Peter's confused look, he adds, "I like being with you, Peter. I...care...about you. Okay? There."

Peter's face softens and he reaches up to slide a hand up Gabriel's shoulder, before coming to a rest on his slightly tense neck.

"I care about you, too. That's why you should come with me."

Gabriel's eyebrows shoot up.

"Are you serious? It's bad enough there was one of me at the carnival. Add another and I'm pretty sure half the people there will gather with torches and pitchforks..."

Peter waves a dismissive hand.

"We'll just go there, stop Claire, and come back here. The effects should be immediate, and no one will ever know."

There's a pregnant pause as the two men look at each other. Finally, Gabriel sighs and heads off in the direction of the bedroom.

"The things I do for you," he calls back, and Peter smiles and follows him. Fifteen minutes later, they've packed lightly and decked up in all black. Peter laces his hands together with Gabriel's and feels the familiar tingle as Gabriel takes the new power from him.

"Alright?"

"Yeah."

"We should get going, then," Peter decides, and Sylar nods once.

"Listen," Peter begins, but his speech is cut off by a loud banging noise coming from the entry way. Someone has kicked their door in. Quickly, before their assailants can catch them, Sylar pulls Peter into him and blinks, sending them spinning through time and space.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

It's morning in Cardiff and Jack and Ianto are taking their first sips of coffee when the rift alarm goes off.

"What is it?" Jack calls, looking down from his office and into the Hub.

"Some small activity three miles from here," Tosh explains, looking over her glasses at Jack.

"Ianto and I will go check it out. The rest of you stay here, we'll call if it's important."

Ianto follows him down to the SUV, where they drive off in companionable silence. When they reach the spot where the activity occurred, they don't see anything out of the ordinary.

They're about ready to give up when suddenly, two figures appear in front of them, almost out of thin air.

The taller one has thick, dark eyebrows and a prominent nose. He's dressed in a black pea coat, skinny black jeans, and black dress shoes. On his back is a small black backpack.

Standing next to him is a slightly shorter man, with short black hair and a faint scar drawn across his face, like some sort of backslash. He's dressed in a similar manner, in all black, with a dark messenger bag across his chest.

They look around confused.

"This is SO not right," the shorter one sighs. He has an American accent.

The taller one turns towards Jack and Ianto.

"What's the date?" he asks. He too is American.

Jack quirks an eyebrow.

"February 10th, 2008," he replies, hand not leaving his gun.

The shorter one turns to the taller one and pushes him lightly.

"Way to go! We're two years early, AND we're in...uh..." he looks around and turns back to Jack and Ianto.

"Where are we?"

Ianto's brow furrows.

"Cardiff," he supplies, and at their confused look, adds, "Wales."

The taller one groans and lets his head fall back.

"Next time you do the teleporting," he murmurs, and the shorter one lets out a huff of air and pushes back some stray hairs that have fallen down.

"Uh, excuse us," Ianto tries, and the strange men's heads snap up to look at the others.

"Who are you?" Jack asks. The strangers turn so they're facing the other men and extend hands to shake.

"Peter Petrelli," the shorter one says, and the taller one adds, "Gabriel Gray."

Jack doesn't hesitate in taking Gabriel's hand, replying, "Captain Jack Harkness. And this is Ianto Jones. Now, can I ask where you're from?"

The Americans exchange a look with each other before Peter begins to speak.

"Manhattan."

"Of what year?" Jack counters.

"2010."

"So what are you doing in Cardiff in 2008?"

This time, Gabriel speaks.

"My fault. We were trying to go back in time, to February 2010. Not 2008. I'm not sure about the Wales part, though." He frowns and looks as if he's trying to figure out something.

Peter moves a little and then winces. Almost immediately, Gabriel is at his side.

"I think I ripped my stitches open," Peter grates, lifting a hand from his side. Sure enough, blood is covering his palm.

"Again?" Gabriel looks exasperated, and Ianto is reminded of his own boss' tendency to hurt himself.

"Do you have a first aid kit?" Peter asks, and Ianto nods. They all walk towards the SUV, where Ianto opens the boot and pulls out the kit. Peter slides his bag off, setting it inside the trunk, before unbuttoning his coat and gingerly lifting up his shirt. The gauze taped to his chest is soaked through with blood, and he swears under his breath.

Without even waiting for help, he tugs the gauze off and starts cleaning up the blood.

"Gabe, can you get-" he begins, but Gabriel is already handing him a bottle from his bag. A bottle of Jack Daniels, from the look of it. Peter takes a healthy swig of it before digging through the first aid kit and pulling out the needle and thread.

With abject horror, Ianto and Jack watch as the American begins to stitch his wound up by himself.

"So what are you running from?" Jack asks, turning to Gabriel, who's leaning against the side of the SUV.

"Why do you assume we're running from something?" he returns, gaze settling on the Captain. The look on Gabriel's eyes is haunting, almost like he's trying to figure something complicated out.

"Most people don't dress up like special ops and then stitch up their own wounds."

Gabriel shrugs.

"Most people don't work for a secret government operation hunting aliens, either," he muses, and Jack's eyes immediately widen.

"How did you know that?"

An amused smile spreads across his face.

"For people who seem to keep all the secrets in the world, you sure don't know anything about people with abilities, do you?"

Ianto hears Peter sighing from inside the trunk. He's finished stitching himself back up and was working on retaping the gauze over himself.

"Stop being dramatic," he scolds, and frowns. One side of his mouth didn't seem to comply with the other half, Ianto notices, and briefly wonders if it's another scar or something else.

Suddenly, it's like a lightbulb going off in Jack's head.

"2010...that's when the world finds out about people like you. Is that why you're trying to go back?"

Peter stands up, buttoning his coat.

"If we say that it is, would you try and stop us?" He grabs his bag and slides it back around himself.

Jack exchanges glances with Ianto.

"If you go back and stop people from finding out, you''ll change everything. You know that, right?"

Peter's eyes look cold, colder than a second ago, and Ianto can't help but shiver at the sudden tension between the four of them.

"Or course. And I'm prepared for that. We both are." He looks towards Gabriel, who hesitates a moment before nodding his agreement.

Ianto looks at the three of them and then grabs Jack's arm, tugging him off a bit, away from the others.

"Jack, we can't just let them mess with time," he whispers, and Jack glances back at the strangers.

"What should we do? Take them back to the Hub?"

Ianto runs a hand through his hair.

"And then what, retcon them?"

Jack shakes his head.

"No. But we can try and talk them out of this. And besides, the others would love to meet people with super powered abilities." He puts a hand on the Welshman's shoulder.

"Plus," he adds, flashing his trademark cheeky grin. "Maybe we can talk them into a foursome!"

Ianto rolls his eyes and starts walking back towards the others.

"Before you go, how about you come back with us to our headquarters? We can give you some food and have our doctor look over those wounds." He tries his best to convince them.

Peter tries to say no, but Gabriel puts a hand on the other man's chest to stop him.

"That would be nice," he smiles, and Ianto opens up the door to the SUV.

On the ride back to the Hub, there is mostly silence. After a few minutes, though, Ianto can't help but turn around in the front seat to look at their passengers.

"So, you said you have abilities? What can you do?"

"Well, for one, I can read minds," Gabriel shrugs, and then narrows his eyes in Ianto's direction.

"Right now, you're thinking that you don't trust us, that we're going to mess up the timeline, that it's your job to take care of threats like us, and also, that you're still glowing from some morning sex with the Captain there. Am I right?"

Ianto's face flushes red and he turns back around to face the road. Jack chuckles beside him, eyes flicking to the rear view mirror.

"So if you know our plans for you, why did you agree to come with us?" he asks, and Peter replies, "Because we can take care of ourselves."

Jack seems satisfied with this answer and he turns back to the road. They drive the rest of the way in an even more awkward silence, especially now that Jack and Ianto know that Gabriel can read their minds.

As they get to the garage, Jack stops the engine, but no one moves. Finally, Peter and Gabriel lean forward as Jack and Ianto turn around to face them.

"I think we can help each other," Peter offers, and Jack eyes him carefully before replying, "My thoughts exactly."

With that, the four exit the car and head inside.

]


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The secret's out, and Peter and Sylar have to deal with being Torchwood's new obsession.

Treading carefully, Peter and Sylar follow their new acquaintances into what appears to be a tourist information center. Ianto pushes a button hidden underneath the counter and a secret door opens, allowing the four of them to walk in and head down the stairs to the cog door.

"Nice security," Gabriel quips, motioning towards the proximity alarm as the doors open and they're able to walk in to the main area.

By now, Gwen and Owen have arrived at work, and three sets of eyes dart up to watch the new guests walk in.

"What is UNIT doing here?" Owen asks, slight disdain in his voice, and Jack holds up a hand.

"They're not with UNIT. They came in through the Rift," he explains, then clamps a hand down on Peter's shoulder. He winces slightly, and Jack moves his hands off quickly in apology.

"They're just some time travelers in need of some hospitality, and I expect every one of you to treat them with respect." He smiles broadly and motions for their guests to follow him down to meet everyone.

"Okay, this is Dr. Owen Harper, Toshiko Sato and Gwen Cooper. Guys, this is Peter Petrelli and Gabriel Gray."

Everyone exchanges awkward waves and more silence fills the room. Just then, Ianto comes over, carrying a tray covered in mugs of steaming, rich coffee, and offers it to everyone.

Peter takes a mug and brings it to his lips, breathing in the smell.

"I could kiss you," he sighs, taking a healthy sip and ignoring the way Gabriel "harumphs" behind him. As soon as everyone is caffeinated and relatively happier, Ianto sets the tray down.

"Well then, when are we going to tell the rest of the team that our new guests have super powers?"

Owen almost choke on his coffee.

"What?"

Tosh is immediately on them, running a scanner across their bodies.

"Fascinating," she mumbles to herself, looking at the read out.

Gwen, meanwhile, is staring awe struck. She turns to Jack.

"You're not surprised?" she asks, and Jack shrugs.

"I've seen a lot in my lifetime, including people with super powers-"

"-Abilities. We like to be called people with abilities." Peter frowns and takes a step back, away from Tosh's scanner. When she notices, she flushes red and takes a step back, as well.

"Sorry," she says, "I'm just so used to dealing with aliens, I just forgot that you were...human."

Ianto takes the opportunity to lean up and whisper into his boss' ear while their guests are occupied. After a second, Jack claps his hands together.

"We have work to do. How about you two help yourself to some food and drinks, put your feet up?"

Gabriel all but tugs Peter over to a ratty old couch and pushes him down.

"You're going to relax, Peter," he says, taking a seat next to the other man. They sit and watch as the others all collect into another room, door shutting behind them.

"Do you think they're talking about us?" Peter asks, lolling his head to look at Gabriel, who has taken the liberty of putting his hand on Peter's thigh.

"Oh, I know they are. I can hear it." His eyes flick about the room they're in. "I think they've probably watching us, too. This place is filled with cameras."

Peter tries to shove Gabe's hand off his thigh at this admission, but Gabriel will have none of that.

"I'm not ashamed," he huffs and Peter's eyes narrow.

"I'm not either," he challenges, and after a second of completely non-platonic eye contact, adds, "What are they saying about us?"

Gabriel closes his eyes, listening for a minute before opening them again.

"They've looked up our histories from this time. Meaning, you're a former nurse and the brother of a Senator, and I'm wanted for murdering my mother."

"Charming," Peter sighs, letting his head thunk on to the other man's shoulder. "What else?"

Gabe listens some more.

"They're arguing over what to do about us."

"Should we get out of here now, before they can stop us?" Peter lifts his head, making to get up. Gabriel grabs his arm and tugs him back down.

"Because that's not suspicious or anything, Pete. Not at all."

Peter rolls his eyes at his partner's sarcasm.

"You know what I mean. You already saw how that one girl was acting, like we were science experiments." Before Gabe can interrupt, he adds, "You know this is exactly what we're trying to avoid, and that's why we have to go, now. To stop Claire and make this right."

He tries to get up again but a telekinetic tug on his body keeps him anchored to the couch.

"For fuck's sake Peter, you haven't slept in days, you haven't eaten anything in weeks that I can remember, and you're so badly hurt I half expect you to bleed out while we're sitting here."

Anger has sparked in the taller man's eyes and Peter can't help feeling guilty for causing him so much worry.

"What do you want me to do about it?" he finally relents, and Gabriel reaches up to cup his face in both his hands.

"Eat something, get some rest, and let that doctor take a look at you. Or at the very least, take my healing. Please?"

He watches as Peter's eyes search his face. Finally, Peter sighs and closes his eyes.

"Fine. But tomorrow morning we're going to 2010 to stop Claire. Got it?"

Gabriel smiles and leans forward, pressing his lips against Peter's. It takes a minute, but Peter begins to respond, sliding his hands up under Gabriel's shirt. Just as the kiss is starting to get good, Gabe's eyes widen and he pushes Peter away.

Peter looks confused at first but he catches on, struggling to rearrange his hair and clothing before the others come back. Sure enough, a few seconds later the doctor, Owen, emerges.

"Jack says you need me to look at something?"

Peter sighs and lets Gabe tug him up and pull him down the stairs into some sort of medical room. Once there, he unbuttons his coat, shrugs it off, and pulls his shirt off.

"Up on the table, then," Owen prompts, pulling some latex gloves on. Peter sighs, and sits up on the table, eyes never leaving Gabriel's. His fingers clutch at the table nervously, and Gabriel just knows that his friend is being reminded way too much of a time long ago, with Arthur Petrelli and Dr. Suresh, of needles and experiments and just a general sense of foreboding.

Owen pulls the gauze off and examines the stitched up gash in Peter's side.

"Did you get stabbed or something?" he asks, incredulous, and Peter's knuckles turn whiter.

"Something like that."

Owen grabs some antiseptic and starts to rub it over the wound.

"These stitches look pretty good. Did you do them?"

Peter speaks carefully, slowly, as if willing his voice not to shake.

"I used to be a nurse," he explains, and Owen looks up, clearly impressed.

"Oh yeah? What are you doing now?"

Peter bites his lip and Gabriel moves to stand next to him, putting a hand on his shoulder.

"Pete's an EMT. He saves people's lives."

Owen stands back and looks over the rest of Peter's battered torso.

"Apparently he's doing a bad job of saving his own," he muses. He looks to Gabriel, eyes narrowing for a moment.

"Is he hurting you?" Owen suddenly demands, and Peter's eyes widen.

"What? No, of course not," Peter stands up from the table, moving to grab his shirt.

"Then why do you look like a human punching bag and he looks fine and dandy?"

Gabriel and Peter's eyes lock for a moment, before Gabe reaches down and rolls up a sleeve.

"Because I can heal," he explains, and grabs a nearby scalpel. In one quick motion, he stabs it into his arm and drags it down. Blood starts pooling up to the surface, and dripping down, but just as quickly the wound starts to knit itself back up.

Owen watches the display with disbelief. When it's over, he looks up to the top of the room, where Jack has been standing, silently watching them. Almost instantly, he's down the stairs, examining Gabriel's arm for himself.

"How many...?" he asks, and Gabe shrugs.

"How many people have this ability? A few hundred, I would guess." He catches Peter's eye. "But none of us are as permanent as you are." Tugging his arm away, he adds, "You're a stuck point. Even if there's a single molecule left of you, you can regenerate. Right?"

Jack eyes the American carefully.

"How do you know that?"

Gabriel taps the side of his head.

"My ability is knowing how things can work. It's how I can get other abilities."

Owen nods his head towards Peter.

"What's his ability?"

Peter, who has been standing there, clutching his shirt and staring back and forth at the others, mumbles, "Empathetic mimicry."

"Which is...?" Owen prompts, and Gabriel interrupts.

"He can copy other people's ability, but he can only hold one at a time. Watch."

He grabs Peter's hand and Peter sighs and squeezes back, letting the red spark pass between them. A second later, the bruises and cuts on Peter's body start disappearing, and he reaches a hand down to tug at the stitches, pulling them out with a slight wince before the gash heals itself up.

Owen looks like he's seen a ghost, staring back and forth at the two strangers.

Jack, meanwhile, looks as if he's miles away, deep in thought. Peter pulls his shirt and coat back on and grabs his discarded bag.

"I think I'm done being ogled like a freak show. Come on, Gabe." He pushes past Jack and starts up the stairs, making his way to the Hub.

"Pete," Gabe sighs, trying to catch the other man, who stops dead in his tracks and whirls around.

"Do you think I like this attention?" he demands, and Gabe's voice falters as he tries to reply. "No, I don't. I hate it, I hate being treated different, and guess what? I'm leaving, with or without you."

He turns on his heel and walks incredibly fast and incredibly angrily towards the door he remembers them coming in through. The alarm sounds as he makes his way through and up the stairs.

Gabriel stands there, dumbfounded, and tries to ignore the way five pairs of eyes are now boring into his skin.

"Do you want me to talk to him?" Gwen offers, looking up with bright eyes, and Gabriel shakes his head.

"Give me a minute."

He disappears up the stairs, running after Peter, and Jack walks over to Tosh.

"Open up the CC-TV," he commands, and she pulls the footage up.

Peter has marched off to the Plass, where he's standing and watching the water, looking none too happy at his current situation.

When he hears Gabe coming up behind him, he whirls around and starts yelling again, arms gesticulating wildly.

They can't hear what the other men are saying, but it looks like Gabriel has started yelling too, reaching over to grab Peter's shoulders and shaking him slightly. Peter pushes him off, staring at him angrily before shaking his head.

Gwen frowns.

"Should we stop them?" she asks, and Jack shakes his head.

"Hold on."

They watch as Peter makes to turn away, walk away, when Gabriel says something that looks suspiciously like "olive juice". Peter whips around then, and they stand there for some time, just looking at each other.

Owen shifts uneasily before murmuring, "I'm going to uh...check on...something." He turns and walks away, and Gwen almost seems to flush as she puts a hand on Ianto's shoulder.

"Why don't we go check on the Weevils?"

They disappear down to the vaults.

Tosh turns back to her work and pretends to be busy.

Jack stays and watches the display in front of him. There was something oddly familiar about these two, the way they were acting. He had had his suspicions but now he was almost positive they were confirmed.

Silently, the Peter on the screen walks forward and Gabriel envelopes him in a big hug before leaning down and claiming his lips in a kiss.

The gesture makes Jack feel a weird sense of deja vu, and he looks over to where Ianto was coming back up from the vaults. He motions towards the cog door with his eyes and Ianto nods, heading up to the Tourist Office.

A few minutes later, the two visitors reappear in the office and Ianto lets them back inside the Hub. They're ushered into some sort of conference room, where they sit and try not to squirm too much under everyone else's gazes.

"I think there are some things you should tell us," Jack begins, and Peter nods, reaching over to lace his fingers with Gabe's underneath the table.

"Yes, there is."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Written forever ago for LJ.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Something seems to be stopping the boys from getting home, but what is it?

The next half hour is spent describing all the details they know about their coming up future and describing the horrors of living in a post-Claire-jumping world. Peter describes in detail all the injuries he's received, and all the people he and Gabe have had to fight in order to defend the innocent specials who've just been accidentally discovered.

"So you see," Peter concludes, hands not leaving their resting place on the table, where he has been straining to keep them, "You cannot stop us. We have to do this."

"Why haven't you left already?" Owen asks, earning a glare from Gwen across the table. "What? I'm just saying, why are they sitting here and talking to us instead of just doing it?"

Gabriel interrupts.

"Maybe because we were trying to get away from some government agents sent to kill us and we ended up here?"

"But why here?" Gwen asks, looking to Jack for guidance. No one offers any answers, but suddenly Tosh seems to get an idea.

"What if they were picked up by the Rift while traveling through time? That would explain why they were dropped off here."

Ianto, who has been mostly quiet, pipes up. "Cardiff, the destination for all things creepy, intergalactic, or otherwise unusual. Right?"

Peter, who has pretty much worn an expression of anger since he arrived in Wales, snakes a hand under the table and grabs at Gabe's wrist. Red sparks pass between them and Peter closes his eyes and tries to teleport.

Nothing happens.

He opens his eyes and stares at his partner in confusion.

"I can't blink out of here," he says, and the other man frowns.

"Let me try."

He closes his eyes and tries. Again, he stays put.

"The Rift might be blocking your movement through space and time," Tosh offers, tapping away at her laptop.

"We could be stuck here?" Gabe asks, looking more worried than he already was. He could feel Peter's annoyance building up next to him, but he makes no move to comfort the other man.

"Awesome."

Peter stands up suddenly and marches off.

"I'm going to go take up smoking. Or drinking. Something. Come get me when you figure out what the fuck is going on," he calls over his shoulder.

The doors shut behind him.

"Is he always this grouchy?" Owen asks, and Gabriel shakes his head.

"Peter used to be the most optimistic, happy person I knew. And now...well, his face isn't the only thing that's scarred." He's looking longingly at a picture on his phone. Gwen cranes her neck and sees it's a photo of the two of them, laughing and looking at each other with genuine adoration.

There's some morose silence before Jack lightly claps his hands down on the table.

"Alright team, let's make getting these guys home our number one priority. First things first, is there any chance you will run into your own timeline here?"

Gabe thinks a moment. "Well, I would either be in New York or Mexico right now. As for Peter...I'm not sure. He doesn't like to talk about this part of his life."

Tosh types some things into the computer and brings up some images on the projection at the front of the room.

"Peter Petrelli is listed as missing, presumed dead right now," she explains, bringing up a confidential police file.

That seems to ring a bell in Gabe's head, and he remembers some things that aren't quite his own memories.

"He's in Ireland right now, but he doesn't remember anything."

"We'll keep him inside, to be on the safe side. Tosh, try and find out what's blocking them. Owen, I want you to see if there's any research done on people with abilities like theirs. Ianto, check the archives. Gwen, go talk to him. As for you, Gabriel, you're with me."

They all adjourn to their respective duties. Gwen finds Peter standing by Myfanwy's nest, staring at nothing.

"Why do you guys have a pet dinosaur?" he asks, not turning around. Gwen walks to stand beside him.

"She couldn't get back to where she came from, so we gave her a new home here," she says, softly, turning her eyes upward to mimic her companion's.

Peter turns to face her, and Gwen meets his gaze.

"Is that what's going to happen to us?" he asks, and she can see the vulnerability in the American's eyes. He looks lost, and scared, and above all, _alone_. She reaches a hand up and squeezes his shoulder.

"We're going to try our best to get you home, Peter. We're the best at what we do."

His gaze seems to turn hard again.

"Will you let us go back and fix the wrongs that my niece has done?"

She pauses. Jack never specifically said what they were going to do, but Gwen could tell from the anger and sadness in their guests' eyes that what they were trying to do was right.

"I won't stop you."

She gives one more squeeze before dropping her hand, and they return to watching Myfanwy pick at her nest.

Meanwhile, Gabe has followed Jack to his office, where he sits in the chair across from him. After a few minutes of silence as they both sit there, Gabe leans forward and leans on the other man's desk.

"So what is it?" he asks, lifting an eyebrow.

Jack thinks for a moment, fidgeting with some papers on his desk before speaking.

"Do you ever wish you were mortal?"

Without hesitation, Gabe replies, "Every minute of every day."

"Why?"

Gabriel turns to look out the window towards the rest of the Hub, searching for Peter.

"Because the thought of outliving Peter terrifies me."

That phrase, that emotion, strikes a familiar pang in Jack's chest, and he swallows.

"Can't Peter just keep your healing and stay immortal like you?"

Gabriel actually laughs.

"Are you kidding? Try getting Peter to do anything that he doesn't want to do. He's the most stubborn person I've ever met. He wants to be extraordinary, sure, but only so he can help people, not so he himself can benefit." Quietly, he adds, "That's why I love him."

Jack hesitates for a minute before asking, "Is it worth it?"

Gabe's head snaps up and a wide, but sad, smile spreads across his face.

"I wouldn't trade my time with him for anything."

Jack smiles a small smile back, and makes to stand up, when Gabe prompts, "Is this about that man in the suit? Ianto?"

Jack stops dead in his tracks and turns around.

"I have no idea what you're talking about," he replies, innocently, although they both know he's lying.

Gabe just smiles and stands back up, following Jack out of his office. Owen, Gwen and Tosh were all at their desks, busily working. Jack looks down at Gwen and calls her name out.

"Where's Peter?" he asks, and she motions towards the hot house. With a nod, Gabriel heads over, opening the door and walking inside.

Jack watches, smiling to himself, before heading down the stairs and down to the archives, where he finds Ianto digging through some boxes.

"How's it going?" he asks, sliding his arms around the other man's middle. Ianto continues looking, not even flinching, as he replies, "Alright. I'm not really seeing anything that will help us, though."

Jack sighs and plants a kiss behind Ianto's ear, smiling when the object of his affection's breathing hitches.

"Are you staying tonight?"

Ianto leans back into the touch, the box temporarily forgotten.

"When don't I stay?"

Jack thinks for a moment.

"Never?" he offers, leaning lower and planting a kiss on Ianto's neck.

The Welshman groans and seems to melt into Jack's embrace, but then suddenly, he squirms and tries to pull himself from the other man's grasp.

"What about our guests? They can't just sleep on our couch."

Jack deflates a little.

"I almost forgot about them. How about we put them up in a cute little bed and breakfast?"

"I'll go make the arrangements," Ianto volunteers, pulling himself away and heading up towards the main part of the Hub. He laughs to himself as he can hear Jack pouting behind him.

Turning around in the doorway, he volunteers, "I'll be back in ten minutes."

Jack's answering smile is almost enough to make him stay there, but duty calls, so he heads upstairs to make reservations.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Gabriel finds Peter sitting on a stool, staring at some very alien looking plant.

"Did you mean what you said earlier?" Peter asks, golden eyes looking up to meet the other's.

"Of course I did, Peter. I will never lie to you." He leans down to kiss Peter, sliding his arms around the other man's chest. At first, Peter seems apprehensive, but then, he starts to get into it, just like before.

He's already unbuttoned Gabe's coat and started working on his button up shirt when they suddenly hear a voice behind them.

"BLOODY HELL! You two are worse than Jack and Ianto!"

They turn around and catch the last of Owen's lab coat before he disappears behind the door. Peter's flushing a lovely shade of red, Gabe notices, feeling just a bit smug as they rearrange their clothes and double check their appearance.

They emerge from the hot house and make their way down the stairs, when they hear Tosh yelling out in surprise. She comes running up from some other room, looking embarrassed and very amused.

"Let me guess," Owen sighs, turning to look at his co-worker. "You caught the boss and the coffee boy going at it, am I right?"

She just nods and goes to sit down at her desk, pretending like nothing happened.

Owen turns to Gwen.

"Is everyone around here getting shagged except me?"

She laughs.

"I doubt it, Owen."

A few minutes later, Ianto emerges from the room Tosh had come running from, looking as impeccable as ever.

"Right then, we've got a room for you two to stay in tonight," he explains, and then nods. "Until then, are you hungry?"

"Starving," Gabriel smiles, and turns to Peter. "You're eating something." His tone leaves no argument, and Peter sighs and follows him towards a small table set up.

They eat quietly, not talking, and Peter drinks the coffee that Ianto has brought them.

When they're done, and they're just sitting there, Peter slides his hand over Gabriel's.

"What are you taking?" Gabe asks, watching the red spark move between them once more.

"My mom's ability," Peter says, but doesn't elaborate. The taller man eyes the coffee cup still in Peter's grasp.

"You won't be able to sleep if you keep drinking that," he muses, but Peter ignores him. A few minutes go by in more silence until Ianto wanders in.

"Anything else you need?" he asks, and Gabe shakes his head. "I think we're good. Thanks, by the way, for that favor."

Peter looks confused.

"What fa-" His thought gets cut short as his eyes suddenly droop and his head thunks down on to his arms on the table.

"Oops," Gabriel mumbles, bringing his glass of water up to his lips.

"Do you commonly drug him?" Ianto asks, eying the sleeping man.

Gabriel shrugs.

"He was never going to sleep otherwise. I can't even remember the last time he got more than ten minutes." He reaches a hand out and gently rubs it through the other man's hair. "Besides, all I did was give him decaf and crush up some Tylenol PM into his drink. His body did the rest."

Carefully, they carry the sleeping man over to the couch and arrange him in a comfortable position. Satisfied he'll be okay, Gabriel heads down to the others, busily working at their desk.

Owen emerges from wherever he was and spots Gabriel.

"I'm wondering, just how many abilities do you have?" he asks, careful to not offend the other man.

Gabe thinks for a moment.

"Well...let's see. If I had to ballpark it, I'd say...Sixteen? Seventeen?" He shrugs with one shoulder. "I lost count."

"But most people like you only have one?" Tosh inquires, looking up from above her glasses.

"Usually."

"What's your favorite one?" Gwen asks, head propped up in her hand.

"That's a tough one." He thinks for a moment. "Probably telekinesis."

To emphasize his point, he lifts a hand and lifts Gwen's cup of coffee up and around before setting it back down in front of her.

"Least favorite?" Owen volunteers, and Sylar's face grows unsure.

"Shape shifting," he says, finally, and at their expectant gazes, shakes his head. "I'm not going to show you that one."

"Some other time, then?" Gwen smiles, and he smiles back.

"Sure."

Suddenly, Ianto seems to appear.

"He's talking and thrashing in his sleep," he explains, and Gabriel hurriedly follows him to Peter's reclining form.

Peter's eyes are moving violently behind closed eyelids, and he keeps mumbling and moving about.

"Is he okay?" Ianto asks, turning to the other man worried. Gabe takes one of Peter's hands between his own.

"He's using his mom's ability, dream premonition. Apparently what he's seeing isn't good."

He strains to listen and see if he can catch what Peter is saying or seeing, but everything is so jumbled, nothing makes sense. Suddenly, Peter sits up, gasping for breath and yelling out, "No!"

Almost instantly, Gabriel is holding him, rocking him, and whispering reassurances in his ear.

Hot tears are quickly falling from Peter's eyes and he's shaking pretty hard. Gabriel pulls away but keeps his hands on Peter's shoulders.

"What did you see?"

Peter swallows.

"It's Luke. Someone at his school saw his ability. They snuck into his dorm while he was sleeping and stabbed him. He's-he's dead."

Gabriel's face turns deathly pale and he shakes his head.

"No, no, that's not possible, that's not right," he mumbles, and Peter clings on to his partner.

"We have to get out of here, now, we have to go back and save him!"

Gabriel seems to come to his senses and he pulls Peter in close.

"There's nothing we can do Pete, we have to wait here."

Over Peter's shoulder, Gabe catches Ianto's eye.

_Bring me some sleeping pills to give him. He won't dream if he takes them._

Ianto nods and hurries off. Once Peter has taken the pills and calmed down enough to fall back asleep, Gabriel sits next to him, stroking his hair. By now, Jack has heard about what happened and has come to stand quietly beside them.

"Who is Luke?" he asks, quietly, and Gabe looks up.

"Luke is this kid, he's like us, that we took under our wing for a while. He slept on our couch for a few months. We convinced him to go to college. And then, I guess, he was murdered for being himself."

Jack's silence is unsetting, but finally, he speaks.

"I promise you we are going to find a way to make this right."

Gabriel looks down at a sleeping Peter, and nods.

"I hope you do."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Written forever ago for LJ.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Finally, the Team finds a solution to the problem. But will Peter and Sylar be able to get home?

Peter wakes slowly and groggily, and it takes him a moment to realize that he's not home, but in Cardiff, a few years in the past.

He swears lightly under his breath and looks around. The Hub is quiet, and he suspects the other have gone out to check out some alien threat or whatever, although how he didn't hear the commotion, he's not sure. Swaying slightly, he stands up and wanders around until he finds a bathroom.

When he comes back out, he hears someone mumbling to themselves. He follows the sound and finds Gabriel, sitting on the ground in some corner, surrounded by parts and metal things and some things that Peter isn't even sure of their origin. Hearing Peter's approach, he looks up.

"Hey you," he smiles, and holds up the piece he's working on. "Look who has a special project."

Peter stops on the edge of the wreckage and looks down. "What is it?"

"Some sort of transmission device thing. I don't know. They just asked if I could get it working, and then left to go find some aliens or something."

The shorter man nods and looks around, trying to find words, but not finding any. So instead, he sits down on the floor next to Gabe and asks, casually, "Do you need any help?"

Gabriel knows Peter is just trying to find something that will occupy his mind and keep him from thinking about their situation, and Luke, and everything else that constantly plagues his thoughts. So he shrugs and smiles, "Sure."

For the next half hour or so, he asks Peter to hand him a part or a tool, and Peter does, and with one last adjustment, Gabe hits a switch and the machine comes glowing to life.

"Just in time," a booming voice calls, and they look up to see Jack, looking a little worse for wear but otherwise alive.

"How'd it go?" Gabe asks, standing up and pulling Peter up with him.

"It's taken care of," Jack replies, but doesn't elaborate. He holds out a hand and Gabriel puts the device into it.

"Looks like you've got it working perfectly. Thank you."

A very disheveled and tired Ianto emerges from the vaults and spots them.

"Do you want me to take you to your room?" he asks, and suddenly Peter feels really, really sleepy, even though he just slept for something like five hours.

"Please," Gabriel sighs, reaching down and looping his fingers with Peter's. They grab their bags and follow the Welshman down to the SUV, where they tiredly clamber inside and sit quietly as they're driven to the bed and breakfast where Ianto booked a room for them.

He bids them goodbye and drives off, and they make their way to their room. It's cute, with a queen size bed and some heavy drapes and a large claw bathtub in the bathroom.

Peter realizes he's been staring at the bathtub when Gabriel carefully eases his bag from his shoulder and sets it down.

"Why don't you take a nice, hot bath, and I'll see about getting some food up here?" he soothes, and Peter moves as if on auto-pilot, shedding his clothes and drawing hot water up into the tub. As he stands there waiting for the water to finish filling, he vaguely notices goose bumps popping up all over his body, but he ignores it.

Once the tub is filled, he slides down into the tub, bending his knees do he can get his head under. Closing his eyes, he listens to the muffled sound of his own heartbeat, suddenly so loud to his ears. After what seems like an eternity, he opens his eyes and looks over. Gabriel is sitting on the floor next to the tub, leaning against the edge and staring down at him.

Peter shifts so his head is above water.

"That's creepy. You know that, right?"

Gabe laughs and snakes a hand down to entwine in Peter's hair. He rubs light circles, and Peter closes his eyes.

They sit there for several minutes, not talking, until finally, Gabriel begins to speak quietly.

"Do you...do you ever think that if we go back and stop Claire, that we won't get together?"

Peter opens his eyes and looks up at the other man.

"We'll still be together. It'll happen no matter what, I know it."

Gabriel's gaze seems to be lost as he watches the light bouncing off the water make circles on the wall.

"But what if you're wrong?"

"I'm not."

"But..." he slides the hand that was resting in Peter's hair down to cup his cheek. "But what if you are, Peter? This could be our last time together."

Peter searches the dark eyes above him and sees nothing but desperation and fear. He sits up, water splashing a little, and leans over the edge of the tub, face inches from the other man's.

"Well, we'd better do something about that then, in case it is."

He leans in for a kiss but Gabriel pulls away.

"Not here. Not like this," he whispers, and Peter bites his lip before nodding in agreement and reaching over to pull the plug on the drain. He stands, letting Gabriel drape a large, fluffy towel over his shoulders, and steps out of the tub. He carefully towels off before joining the other man in the bedroom.

There's a brief moment, a second in time, where Peter's not sure what to do or say, but then he reaches up and presses a feather light kiss to Gabriel's lips. They stand there for several minutes, just holding each other, until Peter pulls away and gently tugs the other man after him. They lay down on the bed, facing each other, on their sides, just laying there.

Gabriel inches forward, planting gentle kisses along the edge of Peter's scar, and Peter closes his eyes, feeling the sensation.

"I think I'm going to miss it," he whispers, and Gabe chuckles softly.

"I think I will too."

Peter slides his body forward until it's flush with the other man's, and tilts his head up.

"Ready?"

"Always."

With another kiss, they begin.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

At the Hub, Owen, Gwen and Tosh are begrudgingly sent home, and the empty state of the building is taken advantage of as Ianto and Jack repeat their nightly ritual, ending up on Jack's tiny bunk bed, as usual.

Ianto is asleep on his stomach, face buried into the pillow, and Jack watches him, watches as his back rises up and down as he breathes, watches the minute flicker of movement underneath his eyelids as he dreams.

Thinking back, he remembers Gabriel's words from earlier in the day, and suddenly, Jack feels achingly alone. Swallowing the lump that has grown in his throat, he drapes an arm over Ianto and buries his face in the other man's neck.

Ianto stirs a little, mumbling a confused "Jack?" before Jack shushes him.

"Go back to sleep, I'm here."

In a minute, Ianto is back asleep, and Jack closes his eyes and tries to will himself to do the same.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The next morning, Tosh arrives bright and early at the Hub, as always. Judging by the darkened lights, Jack and Ianto haven't stirred yet, so she turns back around and decides to grab some coffee. While at the shop, she orders one for Owen, too, knowing he'll be grouchy if he doesn't get his morning coffee.

She gets back just in time to run into Ianto as he's hustling out of the Tourist Office, hurrying to get their guests from the B&B they left them at. She smiles, waves, and heads inside.

To her surprise, Owen is already there, but luckily, he looks to not have had any coffee yet, so she hands him the cup she got him, and he actually smiles back.

"Thanks, Tosh," he says, and her insides warm with happiness.

"You're welcome," she blushes back, before turning back to her station.

Gwen arrives, and Jack comes down from his office to speak with each of them before Ianto comes back, their guests in tow.

"Sleep well?" Gwen asks, a sparkle in her eye, and Peter actually blushes.

"Extremely well," Gabriel smiles back, eyebrow raising just high enough to add suggestion to his statement.

Jack interrupts the exchange.

"Gabriel, Tosh says she has some ideas on how we can get you two back to your own time."

"Really?" He turns to the woman in question, and she nods.

"Care to help me brainstorm?" she asks, and he pulls a chair over to her desk, where they begin working.

Gwen takes the opportunity to grab Peter's arm and tug him off somewhere, so she can talk to him alone.

"Are you okay?" she asks, and Peter can't help but laugh internally at the similarities that exist between himself and the woman.

"Doing better," he shrugs, trying not to divulge too much. She nods and doesn't say anything for a while, but Peter can tell she's dying to ask him something.

Finally, she looks up, and as carefully as she can, asks, "I'm sorry but...how did you get your scar?"

He reaches up and runs a hand through his hair before turning to meet her gaze.

"It was from the first major fight, after the news got out. I was out on a call with my partner, Hesam, we were responding to a call that a girl was attacked by a group of some guys, with knives." He pauses, suddenly noticing the way his eyes were filling with tears, before continuing. "And when we got there...God, that little girl, do you know what she could do? She could make her drawings come to life, like a movie. And some fucking idiots, some teenagers, saw this and got scared."

His eyes move to look at Gwen's, who is looking back with fascination and anger, and he starts to shake his head.

"They cut her up, carved words into her skin, calling her a freak and I saw one of them. I started to chase after him, I was so angry and he- he moved to cut me, and I moved back just in time to avoid major damage. But the scar remained."

Peter notices that Gwen's hand has come up to trace light circles on to the top of his hand, and he's relieved for the movement, for the anchor to reality.

"Gabe begged me to take his healing and get rid of it, but I refused. I told him it was a sign, a mark. I wasn't afraid to stand up for what I thought was right."

Gwen nods and then pulls him into a tight hug.

"You're a good person, Peter," she says, and then pulls away. They wipe away tears and pretend nothing happened, when Peter notices that Gabriel has caught his eye.

You okay? he mouths, and Peter smiles and nods. When Gabriel turns to go back to his work with Tosh, Gwen crosses her arms.

"Come on then, how did you two meet?"

Peter's eyebrows raise.

"Honestly?"

"Honestly."

"He was going to kill my niece, who I didn't know was my niece, but this heroin addict who could paint the future said it was going to happen, so I went to save her, and he pushed me off a roof, and I pulled him with me, and I died and he got taken in by this organization called the Company."

Gwen blinks several times in succession before bursting into laughter.

"And I thought we had problems here!"

They laugh for a bit, even though the whole thing really isn't that funny. Once they've settled down, Peter motions towards the engagement ring on Gwen's finger.

"How did you meet your someone?" he asks, and she shrugs.

"Oh, in college. Nothing quite as exciting as you."

"I don't know about that. How about we get something to eat and you can tell me about it?"

She smiles and they head off to grab some food from the kitchenette.

Gabriel watches them leave and smiles, pleased Peter seems to have cheered up. He turns back to Tosh, who was currently searching through some files to see if there was any possible way they could use the Rift to get back.

He's about to suggest something when Owen saunters over, leaning by Tosh's desk.

"So, are you going to tell us why you're wanted for murder?"

Tosh whirls around to glare, but Gabriel shakes his head.

"It's okay, Toshiko." He thinks for a moment before beginning to explain.

"My mother and I got in an argument, and she got scared, locked herself in her room. I tried to get her to come out, to talk to me, and she comes out with a pair of scissors. I try to pull them away from her, and...I stab her. Right in the heart."

He looks Owen straight in the eye, not blinking. Owen stares back.

"Do you regret it?"

Gabriel's quiet, but he very carefully phrases his next answer.

"I'm not sure."

Owen's relentless, this time asking, "Have you killed anyone else?"

Gabriel's eyes turn to the ceiling and he mumbles, "Look up Sylar in the FBI archives."

Confused, Tosh types it in and comes up with hundreds of articles about a serial killer, known for killing his victims by cutting off the top of their head.

"Oh my God," she breathes, and Owen turns to look at him in the closest thing to horror he could muster.

"You did this?"

"Sylar did it." Gabriel didn't mention that he and Sylar were one in the same, past tense.

"Does Peter know?" Tosh asks, quietly, gazing up at the taller man, and Gabriel nods.

"He knew all about it, since the moment we met. But he saved me, and because of him I'm who I am today. Reformed."

There's a long, awkward silence as they all stand there, before Gabriel stands up.

"I'm going to go talk to Jack about something," he declares, turning and heading up the stairs to the Captain's office. When he gets there, Ianto is sitting on the edge of the desk, drinking some coffee. When he spots Gabriel, he sets the cup down, quietly walking out of the office.

"Yes?" Jack asks, not at all upset to have his coffee break interrupted.

"I just thought you should know that I'm not afraid of losing Peter anymore." Jack's eyebrows raise in confusion, as if to say, Why are you telling me this?, and he continues. "I think you should get over whatever qualms you have and stop lying to yourself." Jack tries to interrupt but Gabe holds up a hand.

"And I know when you're lying because one of my abilities is lie detection. Do everyone a favor and man up." He smiles his usual 100-watt grin, which Jack mirrors, before he turns to leave. When he's almost out of the doorway, he turns.

"Almost forgot, I think Tosh found a way for me and Peter to get back."

He turns back and leaves Jack's office, whistling some tune to himself that Jack swears is a song from the sixties.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Everyone has gathered at the conference table, looking to Tosh, who is holding the device that Gabriel has fixed the day before.

"This device is something we salvaged from some alien remains a few months ago. When working, it transmits a signal that is able to block movement through time and space, which is handy when dealing with telporters. However, it was broken when we found it." She nods towards the man seated next to her.

"Gabriel was able to not only fix it, but reverse the polarity, meaning it can now enable movement through time."

"So if they use that, they can just disappear out of here?" Gwen asks, looking carefully at the device.

Tosh shakes her head.

"Unfortunately, no. The device needs to feed off of Rift energy in order to work. Once the device is working, they should be able to teleport out of here."

Peter listens carefully, before raising a hand and speaking.

"So what you're saying is we're stuck here until you guys find a spike in the Rift big enough to move us through time?"

"Correct."

Peter slumps visibly in his chair, clearly discouraged, but Ianto pipes up, hoping to encourage the other man.

"Lucky for you, Cardiff is sitting on a rip in Time, I'm sure it won't be long until there's another-"

Sure enough, the Rift Alarm sounds and Peter's hand bolts over to grab at Gabe's, taking a power from him so they can use it.

Tosh hands the device to Gabriel, who slides it into his back pack.

Jack is yelling the readings out as everyone jumps into action, grabbing their weapons and anything else they can need. He turns to Peter and Gabriel.

"You're coming with us."

"What about the SUV?" Owen interrupts. "We can't all fit in there."

"We'll follow you," Peter reassures, and at the other's questioning gaze, smirks.

"You'll see."

Everyone piles into the SUV and drives out, and they're going down when Gwen peers out the window.

"I don't see them."

Everyone looks, confused, when suddenly, Ianto says, "Uh, guys, look up."

The ones by the window peek out and up, and to their incredible surprise, see them flying above them, following the car. Gabriel gives a wave and smiles, and Owen weakly waves back before settling back down inside the car.

"They're flying. Flying! Now I really have seen everything."

They get to the spot with the Rift activity, just some Weevils escaped through, but the hole in Time is still clearly visible. Very quickly, the offending aliens are rounded up, but suddenly, Owen turns around with wide eyes.

"Tosh!" he calls, "Behind you!"

She whirls around just in time to see a Weevil they missed heading right towards her. She fumbles for her Weevil spray, or a tazer or a gun, or anything, but can't find anything. She winces and readies herself to get hit when suddenly she finds herself...floating?

She looks up and finds herself being held bridal-style by a hovering Peter Petrelli.

"Hi there," he smiles, and she smiles back.

"Hi," she laughs, and they turn their eyes down and watch as Gabriel uses telekinesis to force the Weevil down so the others can catch it.

Peter and Tosh land softly on the ground, and she thanks him for the thousandth time in a minute.

"The Rift is closing," Ianto warns, breaking up the reunion, and Gabriel pulls the device from his back pack.

"What do I do?"

Tosh slides her hand over the machine, flicking a switch on, and it glows to life.

"You have to walk inside the Rift, holding the device, and then as soon as you're inside, teleport, and you should be where you need to be."

"So it's like...instantaneous?" Peter asks, looking between the Rift and the device with uncertainty.

"Yes." She smiles. "If anyone can do it, it's you two."

"Alright," Gabriel says, with some finality. "Thank you everyone for putting up with this and helping us. It's been fun."

Peter smiles. "Take care of yourselves."

"You too," Gwen smiles back, and with that, Peter links his hand with Gabe, and they walk into the Rift, not looking back.

A second later, the Rift closes with a flash and the team is left to wonder what to do next.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Peter opens his eyes. The light is too bright, and he winces and tries to pull his hand over his eyes, but finds it's stuck. Suddenly, he notices a body on top of his. A very heavy one.

"Gabe," he huffs, pushing lightly at the unconscious man, and Gabriel's eye cracks open.

"Peter?" he asks, and Peter nods.

"Where are we?"

The shorter man tries to look around but finds that he really can't, so he lightly pushes until the man on top of him budges. Once they're standing, they look around.

They're underneath a bridge, and a few hundred yards from where they're standing are the bright lights of a carnival.

"We made it," Gabriel breathes, but almost doesn't finish his statement because Peter has pulled him forward for a kiss.

"Come on," Peters smiles once he's pulled away. "Let's go save the world. Again."

They head off, hand in hand, making sure to bump into some bystanders in the process. When they pass themselves in the carnival, they don't worry, since they're in the guise of someone else.

They spot Claire and nod to each other.

"You sure?" Gabriel asks, and Peter nods.

"Absolutely."

They set their plan into motion.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Once they're positive Claire cannot get out of the restraints they've put her in, and the gag is in place, Peter reaches over and pats his niece's head affectionately.

"Trust me Claire, this is for your own good."

Her mumbled protests make him feel a little guilty, but he shakes it off, and they make sure the trailer they've locked her in is secure. Gabe stands outside, making sure no one gets in or out, and Peter goes to find Noah.

He slips him a note, heading back towards the trailer where they put Claire, and a few minutes later, Noah emerges, Lauren in tow.

"What is this about?" Noah asks, looking just a little upset, and Peter lets his disguise fall away.

"I probably don't have to tell you I'm from the future, do I?"

Noah's eyebrows raise, but he was always quick to catch on.

"What did she do?"

Gabriel lets his disguise slip away.

"She ruins everything, Noah."

At first Noah seems surprised, reaching for his gun, but at Peter's stern gaze, he lets his hand fall.

"What do you want me to do?" he asks, finally, and Peter puts a hand on his friend's shoulder.

"Keep her from showing her power to the world. Move her out of here once the press clears out, and keep an eye on her. That's all we can hope for."

He turns to Lauren.

"Make sure the press believes the cover up, alright?"

She shakes her head yes and Peter turns to Gabriel, linking a hand with his.

"The whole world is counting on you, Noah. Be strong."

Noah smiles, and with a blink, Peter disappears, secure in Gabriel's grasp.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Peter and Gabriel find themselves standing in Peter's kitchen. Peter's hand flies to his face, and tears fill his eyes.

His scar is gone.

"Do you think it worked?" he asks, turning to Gabe, who has already went and opened up Peter's laptop, searching the internet.

"I don't see anything about Claire's jump. I think-" he pauses. "I think we did it, Pete."

Peter runs over and pulls Gabriel in for a kiss, barely containing his smile. He pulls his phone from his pocket and calls Noah.

When he hangs up, he smiles even more. "He says he did what we asked."

Gabriel picks up his own phone and they start calling people, making sure nothing bad happened as a side effect of their meddling with time.

Suddenly, Gabe remembers something, and he hits a number on his phone. After the third ring, someone picks up.

"Luke?" he asks, and he actually laughs when he gets a reply. "Luke! Oh thank God, I thought...uh..." he pauses, then finishes, "I thought maybe you were out of town."

He frowns at his own stupid thought but then shrugs it off. "Nevermind. Can you come over later?" He listens for a moment before replying, "Great, see you then," and hanging up.

They're sitting at the table, basking in celebratory glow, when suddenly Peter gets a thought.

"We should check on the others, tell them we made it back," he prompts, and after some internet searching and finagling, manages to get Gwen's number.

Gabriel watches Peter's face and he talks, and watches with some worry as it begins to lose its happiness, settling on a morose expression. With a "I'm sorry for bothering you," he hangs up and sets his phone down at the table.

"What happened?" Gabriel prompts, and Peter looks up with shiny eyes.

"Tosh, Owen and Ianto are dead. The Hub was blown up, and Jack left the planet, disappeared. Gwen hasn't heard from him in years."

Gabriel reaches over and squeezes Peter's hand.

"What about Gwen?" he prompts, and Peter smiles a little.

"She just had a baby, a boy."

"Well, at least it worked out for somebody," he sighs, and turns his gaze out to the window. Jack must have disappeared because he lost his job, his friends, his home, and most of all, Ianto. Why else would the man who could survive anything just up and leave?

He turns to look at Peter, who is clutching Gabriel's hand with one hand, and using the other to hold his head up as he stares dully ahead at nothing. Gabriel can tell he feels guilty, and he doesn't know what else to do, except lean forward and whisper, "I love you."

Peter's gaze flickers back to his and he leans forward the rest of the way to rest his forehead against the other man's.

"I know. I love you too."

They relocate to the bedroom, Gabriel watching Peter sleeping, curled up against him, and he wonders idly if Jack ever got around to telling his love about how he truly felt. He wonders how much it hurt to lose the man he loved. Deep down inside, Gabriel knows he'll face the same thing someday, but he doesn't mind. He'll make sure that he will always be there for Peter, to help him when he falls, to tell him he loves him, and that's enough for him. He'll make the best of it.

The sun comes up before Gabriel even realizes it's morning and he hasn't slept. Peter stirs then turns and looks up at him groggily.

"Good morning," he sighs, snuggling back in to the other man's side, and Gabriel leans down and plants a kiss on Peter's forehead.

"Yes. Yes it is."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Written forever ago for LJ.

**Author's Note:**

> Written forever ago for LJ.


End file.
